Patents by Inventor Soichiro Kii

Soichiro Kii has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20180229955
    Abstract: A medium transporting device including: a main body; an opening/closing body; and a holding unit, in which the holding unit includes a rotation member that has a supporting portion which can be displaced between raised up and dropped down by rotation thereof and supports the opening/closing body and applies a force to the opening/closing body in an opening direction by the supporting portion engaging with the opening/closing body, and a pressing unit that presses the rotation member in the raised direction, and in which the holding unit further includes a configuration in which a force which is applied to the opening/closing body in the opening direction due to a pressing force to the rotation member generated by the pressing unit and a force that the opening/closing body tries to close are balanced with each other according to a predetermined rotation angle of the rotation member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventor: Soichiro KII
  • Publication number: 20180213099
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a document placement surface, a document cover that rotates between a closed state and an open state, a pressing portion that is disposed on the side of the document table and presses a switch, a rotary lever that is disposed on the side of the document cover and applies external force to the pressing portion, and a biasing member that biases one end side of the rotary lever in a direction that moves away from the document cover, in which when the document cover is at a predetermined angle, one end of the rotary lever pushes down the pressing portion to change the state of the switch, and in the process of displacement from the predetermined angle to the closed state, the one end of the rotary lever rotates in a direction approaching the document cover and maintains the state of the switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventors: Soichiro KII, Etsuo TSUJI, Osamu HANAMURA
  • Patent number: 9706068
    Abstract: An upstream-side unit of a reading unit of an automatic document feeder has protruding portions that protrude toward a surface that forms a document feeding path in a mechanism body unit on both sides of a document in the width direction outside a feeding portion that forms the document feeding path. Positioning of the upstream-side unit provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the mechanism body unit is performed by making protruding portions come in contact with a guide surface of the mechanism body unit, the guide surface forming the document feeding path. By adopting this configuration, because the protruding portions provided on both sides of the document in the width direction outside the document feeding path are used to perform positioning, it is possible to increase the accuracy of clearance for allowing a document to pass through the document feeding path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Seiji Kawabata, Soichiro Kii
  • Patent number: 9617096
    Abstract: A transport apparatus includes: a separation roller pair which is operated when power is transmitted from a first motor; a resist roller pair which is operated when power is transmitted from a second motor; an assist roller pair which is disposed between the separation roller pair and the resist roller pair in the transport direction of the document; a first transmission mechanism portion which transmits the power from the first motor to the assist roller pair; a second transmission mechanism portion which transmits the power from the second motor to the assist roller pair; and a control portion which controls operation aspects of each roller pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Soichiro Kii, Etsuo Tsuji, Shota Hiramatsu
  • Patent number: 9578204
    Abstract: A control unit performs a reading operation in a first mode in which a document on a document stand is read by moving a carriage which includes a reading portion, and in a second mode in which a document which is transported by a document transport unit is read using the carriage which is located at a reading position. The device includes a first white reference plate which is arranged in a first white reference reading position which is a standby position in the first mode, and a second white reference plate which is arranged on a side opposite to the first white reference plate by interposing a reading position in the second mode therebetween in the sub-scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Soichiro Kii, Etsuo Tsuji, Toshimitsu Ohara
  • Publication number: 20160255211
    Abstract: An upstream-side unit of a reading unit of an automatic document feeder has protruding portions that protrude toward a surface that forms a document feeding path in a mechanism body unit on both sides of a document in the width direction outside a feeding portion that forms the document feeding path. Positioning of the upstream-side unit provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the mechanism body unit is performed by making protruding portions come in contact with a guide surface of the mechanism body unit, the guide surface forming the document feeding path. By adopting this configuration, because the protruding portions provided on both sides of the document in the width direction outside the document feeding path are used to perform positioning, it is possible to increase the accuracy of clearance for allowing a document to pass through the document feeding path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: Seiji KAWABATA, Soichiro KII
  • Publication number: 20160251182
    Abstract: A transport apparatus includes: a separation roller pair which is operated when power is transmitted from a first motor; a resist roller pair which is operated when power is transmitted from a second motor; an assist roller pair which is disposed between the separation roller pair and the resist roller pair in the transport direction of the document; a first transmission mechanism portion which transmits the power from the first motor to the assist roller pair; a second transmission mechanism portion which transmits the power from the second motor to the assist roller pair; and a control portion which controls operation aspects of each roller pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: Soichiro KII, Etsuo TSUJI, Shota HIRAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20160119501
    Abstract: A control unit performs a reading operation in a first mode in which a document on a document stand is read by moving a carriage which includes a reading portion, and in a second mode in which a document which is transported by a document transport unit is read using the carriage which is located at a reading position. The device includes a first white reference plate which is arranged in a first white reference reading position which is a standby position in the first mode, and a second white reference plate which is arranged on a side opposite to the first white reference plate by interposing a reading position in the second mode therebetween in the sub-scanning direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventors: Soichiro KII, Etsuo TSUJI, Toshimitsu OHARA
  • Publication number: 20140292171
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a substructure, a first opening and closing body that opens and closes the upper portion of the substructure, and a second opening and closing body that opens and closes the upper portion of the first opening and closing body, and includes a locking mechanism in which the first opening and closing body and the second opening and closing body do not enter the opened state at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji HARA, Soichiro KII, Kohei USUDA
  • Patent number: 8837988
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a substructure, a first opening and closing body that opens and closes the upper portion of the substructure, and a second opening and closing body that opens and closes the upper portion of the first opening and closing body, and includes a locking mechanism in which the first opening and closing body and the second opening and closing body do not enter the opened state at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Hara, Soichiro Kii, Kohei Usuda
  • Patent number: 8670165
    Abstract: A transported material transporting device including: a power transmission switching mechanism configured to switch the transmission of the power between the nip-release switching mechanism and the drive motor between a transmitted state and a blocked state; a detection unit provided in the reversing path and configured to detect the presence or absence of the material to be transported which enters the reversing path; and a blocked-state locking mechanism configured to lock the blocked state of the power transmission switching mechanism when the discharging roller is in the released state, wherein the locked state of the blocked-state locking mechanism is released and the power transmission switching mechanism is switched from the blocked state to the transmitted state upon detection of the position of the trailing end of the material to be transported entering the reversing path by the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Honma, Takeshi Aoki, Soichiro Kii
  • Patent number: 8528894
    Abstract: A transport device includes a set section, a sheet sensor, and a feeding member. When a detection member does not retract, the sheet sensor outputs an OFF-detection signal. The feeding member is displaced between a feed position and a non-feed position on the basis of the detection signal. At the feed position, the feeding member comes in contact with the sheet set in the set section from above and feeds the sheet toward the downstream side on a transport path. At the non-feed position, the feeding member is separated upward from the feed position. A method, which detects a sheet in the transport device, includes displacing the feeding member from the non-feed position to the feed position, and detecting that the sheet does not exist in the set section when an OFF-detection signal is output from the sheet sensor while the feeding member is positioned at the feed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshikazu Kotaka, Yosaku Tamura, Seiji Kawabata, Kensuke Tamai, Hidetoshi Kodama, Soichiro Kii
  • Patent number: 8508820
    Abstract: A transported material transporting device including: a power transmission switching mechanism configured to switch the transmission of the power between the intermediate gear and the cam drive gear between a transmitted state and a blocked state; a detection lever provided in the reversing path and configured to detect the presence or absence of the material to be transported which enters the reversing path; and a blocked-state locking mechanism configured to lock the blocked state of the power transmission switching mechanism when the discharging roller is in the released state, wherein the locked state of the blocked-state locking mechanism is released and the power transmission switching mechanism is switched from the blocked state to the transmitted state upon detection of the position of the trailing end of the material to be transported entering the reversing path by the detection lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Honma, Takeshi Aoki, Soichiro Kii
  • Patent number: 8292289
    Abstract: A transport device, which transports a sheet set in a set section toward the downstream side on a transport path, includes a restricting member. The restricting member is provided at a set position of the sheet in the set section, and is displaced to restrict the sheet moving toward the downstream side on the transport path. The restricting member includes a restricting section that comes in contact with a front end of the sheet from the downstream side on the transport path, and is rotatable about a shaft extending along the transport path so as to be displaced between a first position where the restricting section protrudes on the transport path and a second position where the restricting section retracts from the transport path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshikazu Kotaka, Yosaku Tamura, Seiji Kawabata, Kensuke Tamai, Hidetoshi Kodama, Soichiro Kii
  • Publication number: 20110091261
    Abstract: A transported material transporting device including: a power transmission switching mechanism configured to switch the transmission of the power between the intermediate gear and the cam drive gear between a transmitted state and a blocked state; a detection lever provided in the reversing path and configured to detect the presence or absence of the material to be transported which enters the reversing path; and a blocked-state locking mechanism configured to lock the blocked state of the power transmission switching mechanism when the discharging roller is in the released state, wherein the locked state of the blocked-state locking mechanism is released and the power transmission switching mechanism is switched from the blocked state to the transmitted state upon detection of the position of the trailing end of the material to be transported entering the reversing path by the detection lever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo HONMA, Takeshi AOKI, Soichiro KII
  • Publication number: 20100025912
    Abstract: A transport device includes a set section, a sheet sensor, and a feeding member. When a detection member does not retract, the sheet sensor outputs an OFF-detection signal. The feeding member is displaced between a feed position and a non-feed position on the basis of the detection signal. At the feed position, the feeding member comes in contact with the sheet set in the set section from above and feeds the sheet toward the downstream side on a transport path. At the non-feed position, the feeding member is separated upward from the feed position. A method, which detects a sheet in the transport device, includes displacing the feeding member from the non-feed position to the feed position, and detecting that the sheet does not exist in the set section when an OFF-detection signal is output from the sheet sensor while the feeding member is positioned at the feed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshikazu KOTAKA, Yosaku TAMURA, Seiji KAWABATA, Kensuke TAMAI, Hidetoshi KODAMA, Soichiro KII
  • Publication number: 20100025927
    Abstract: A transport device, which transports a sheet set in a set section toward the downstream side on a transport path, includes a restricting member. The restricting member is provided at a set position of the sheet in the set section, and is displaced to restrict the sheet moving toward the downstream side on the transport path. The restricting member includes a restricting section that comes in contact with a front end of the sheet from the downstream side on the transport path, and is rotatable about a shaft extending along the transport path so as to be displaced between a first position where the restricting section protrudes on the transport path and a second position where the restricting section retracts from the transport path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshikazu KOTAKA, Yosaku TAMURA, Seiji KAWABATA, Kensuke TAMAI, Hidetoshi KODAMA, Soichiro KII
  • Patent number: D611091
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takaaki Ishikawa, Yoshihiro Tatara, Kenji Yanagisawa, Hidekatsu Miyasaka, Soichiro Kii
  • Patent number: D613791
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ichiro Yoshioka, Hiroto Miyauchi, Takaaki Ishikawa, Manabu Kawahara, Kenichi Shirota, Soichiro Kii
  • Patent number: D665013
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takaaki Ishikawa, Hiroto Miyauchi, Shinichiro Yoshikawa, Soichiro Kii, Yusuke Yamashita